Belfast Spånga Monopoli Zurich- Everybody talking bout pop music.
Whatever our musical tastes in 2016, for most of us it was probably a pop song that started our interest in music.
There are doubtless exceptions. Those of us who heard Coltrane’s A Love Supreme while lying in our cradles and immediately developed a love for experimental jazz. The ones who at the age of three were saving their pocket money to buy Miles Davis albums.
This is a thread in celebration of the pop song. From Acker Bilk to Tove Lo, from Taming Parlour to Billy Fury. Please post your favourites. Not only the ones that became megahits but also the neglected pop gems that unjustly fell by the wayside.
Pop has had a chequered career. Back in the 60s many musicians were all too happy to be described as a pop star.
And then pop became a dirty word. It was rock music’s commercial, ephemeral, superficial relative.
Andy Partridge from XTC, commenting on his song This is Pop?
“In 1976 I read a tiny review of a group called The Sex Pistols and the journalist was looking for words to describe them and their music. I thought how stupid a lot of writers are, trying to find categories and names for things when surely if you’re in a group to be popular and your music becomes popular then you are a pop group, making pop music. Despite what haughty, clever or elitist tags you are given or claim for yourself. If you don’t want to get wet stay out of the pool.”
This thread is my penance for my sin of being very dismissive recently when Ms Succeeds mentioned pop as a genre. Now I wish to atone for my transgression. I have been to confession. I have said 500 Hail Maria Careys. I have crawled round the Brill Building on my hands and knees 200 times.
Now I’d like to welcome you to the Afterword Pop Club.
A word of warning. Security guards will be checking carefully for impostors.
The Pop Group and Pop Will Eat Itself will be asked to leave the premises. Iggy Pop will be
welcome. First Aid Kit should be OK as long as they bring their dad and his band Lolita Pop.
Icona Pop will be taken straight to the VIP Lounge.
And finally don’t forget all those artists who despite not being “pop” musicians have written at least one great pop song: Zappa, The Smiths, Suzanne Vega, Yes, Kraftwerk, Einsturzande Neubaten…..
The late 70s was rather a golden age for pop singles. M topped the charts in 1979 with this.
London, New York, Munich, Paris – everybody talk about Rolf Harris.
Err.
I remember M being on Top Of the Pops once, with The Boomtown Rats in the same programme. M turned up in sort of boilersuit / flying suit outfits. As did ver Rats, who were on after Robin Scott’s band. And who were not amused.
The album from which Pop Muzik comes is brilliant. Moonlight and Muzak and That’s The Way The Money Goes are superb.
Fondly remembered from my childhood, Storm in a Tea Cup by The Fortunes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw232U9Go6s
A group of girls at the next table in Burger King at the weekend were singing this. If I hear the postman whistling it, its pop credentials will be thoroughly established.
Always was, always will be…
I bet you weren’t expecting Hugh Grant.
From the romcom Music and Lyrics where he plays a boy band singer on the skids.
Does pop get any better than this?
Shangri-Las – Leader Of The Pack
And from one of the best pop labels ever, Motown
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Shop Around
Then again, its a relief when like The Mad Lads you
Don’t have to shop around
Young Girl Blues is one of my favourite Donovan songs. Not heard Marianne F’s version before.
No band poppier than the wonderful St Etienne.
And from Newcastle, Dubstar, another pop band with wit, intelligence and cracking songs.
The day I see you again
Can’t think why, but Clodagh Rogers and Jack in the box springs to mind.
I discovered this song, me, nobody else, it was all me. Ten years old, maybe eleven. Life was never the same again…
And just remember Dylan said something like “Mick Jagger, Madonna -pah. Bobby Vee is the man”
https://youtu.be/YKuNv_YlIrs
Andy Partridge is justifiably upset on twitter at the moment about yet more snidey comments and bitching from Todd Rundgren who seems an unpleasant egotistical arsehead.
I heard that interview and fond it mighty refreshing. For once Todd was faced with someone who wasn’t almost fainting to be in his presence so it was a bit sad to hear him going quite as far and as unguarded as he was about Andy, but having had some experience of both of them I don’t think it was very far off the truth.
Sounds very healthy for the likes of Todd to be interviewed by someone who is not totally in awe of him. And I can well believe he is not the easiest person to work with.
BUT
He has written some quite magnificently tuneful pop songs.
Worth 2/6d of anyone’s pocket money.
There’s a great comment underneath that clip on YT frin Elle Mimeux.
“I used to work at a liquor store in columbus ohio, a jazz radio voice used to come in on the weekends and school me on jazz. He asked me “why do you even like sun ra? Kirk is where its at!” He told me several stories about Kirk(also from columbus ohio) one being quite memorable……Roland Kirk used to be a clerk at this record store in Columbus and being blind, people used to go in to buy a record and would have to tell him what the record was, ad the price tag, and even tell him what bill they gave him, and if the change was correct or not! The punchline is, he was never, NOT ONCE ripped off or lied to! “
After posting my little riposte to your snarky third paragraph in the op I feel I should put my arm around your chilly shoulder and make amends.
Have a bit of Amen Corner.
https://youtu.be/yf192nGowGY
I enjoy a good riposte, Pencil.
I was thinking in particular of my good pal, DuCool, who I somehow imagine was born wearing a black beret and with a diminutive goatee beard. I can’t imagine him ever entering a Twisting competition or getting very excited about Pinky and Perky.
Into Albert Ayler before he was out of nappies, I suspect.
I had a beret by the age of two. Brown it was.
Amen Corner were a good live band. I saw them on a bill featuring Hendrix, Pink Floyd and The Move and was well impressed.
Andy Fairweather Low can do no wrong in this gaff.
This song of AFL’s was always a fave. Can’t think why!
Da iawn.
Let’s have another then….
I remember this being on the radio – 1968?
It’s a great example of economical pop song writing. It’s just that first 8 bars repeated about ten times, with a few lah-lahs and a slowed down section to give it a kick into the fade. Great title and lyric and melody and singing.
Ahhhhh, pop. 1981 Top of the Pops is getting good because it’s containing music I remember as a young one. I’ve been back listening to Godley & Creme a good bit recently. Wedding Bells doesn’t seem to be on YouTube, but this is.
Nice one DrJ.
10CC were always an unashamed pop band. Albeit a very sophisticated and witty one.
Pop in excelsis!! Let’s have another…..
Here’s Wedding Bells
Nothing more pop than this
Is Mickey Dolenz wearing a cape?
or is it a poncho?
or a tablecloth?
It’s a Sears poncho
…or is that a Mexican poncho?
Didn’t start my interest in pop exactly (that started much earlier), but this was the first single I bought (along with ‘Banana Republic’, Boomtown Rats).
Perfect pop, of course.
This thread could run and run.
Have some Erasure – probably their poppiest moment. I adore this record – even the Weezer cover version has some merit.
It’s no easy task writing a good pop song….
Ask the Beautiful South.
I may be a heterosexual man in his mid-40’s, but sod cred – these are both flipping ace!
Sugababes – Freak Like Me
Rachel Stevens – Some Girls
Nothing to be ashamed of Steve! I am an ancient heterosexual man but when I listen to Alizee she really makes me feel like a French teenage girl.
Perhaps I should rephrase that?
Love that one – prompts me to post this
A good drum sound gives you a head start in pop surely? It’s for singing along to, and dancing to. Both bases covered here.
This was a surprise worldwide smash hit in 1961.
(Dave Brubeck Quartet – Take Five)
.
This was a big hit too, in 1964.
Staying in the henhouse, here’s a fab pop song from 1956.
Louis Jordan – Ain’t nobody here but us chickens
Two gems with a country flavour from the other side of the pond.
Laura Cantrell – Two seconds
Judy Collins – Someday soon
Too Classy – you need some cheesy – metrocountry – earworm like this (written by Chris Stapleton as it happens)
None cheesier, little better than this.
Might be cheesy, but it gets the job done – classic mid 70s post glam pop toooon……
The drummer is now a Chemistry Teacher – unless he retired. He taught a friend of mine a while back.
Uncool guy does cool record shock. Still remarkable.
As covered by Tortoise on the new album, not entirely successfully I’m afraid.
What’s uncool about David Essex? I’ve always thought of him as an ace pop star with an endearing ‘loveable rogue’ vibe.
Let’s have another……
https://youtube.com/watch?v=X8LVQSO_S3U
….and another…..NONE more pop!
and for the complete * set
* not actually “complete”, but you know what I mean …
@Black Type, uncool in that he was clearly pitched at the girls, or, as we know these days. (also) at gay buyers.
I’m a gurl, and the only David Essex single I own is the fab Me and My Girl (Nightclubbing).
Cheesy performance on TOTP in this clip, but I loooove this tune! Lots of great memories attached to it…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMN_ais-HSg
Modern pop par excellence – constantly on repeat (deservedly so) with my daughter
I think Roland Kirk likes pop too.
Recently enjoyed seeing Graham Bonnet – this one is undeniable
It never gets old – the perfect gawky american pop song (and fantastic guitar)
Any excuse to post something off Paul Williams first album. The whole LP is packed with haunting pop songs under 3min in length each. Bit depressing though. Was the early 70’s after all.
One of those moments in later life that re-invigorates love for all thing “pop”
Noisettes – Never Forget You
Perfect Pop from formative years?
Haircut 100 – Fantastic Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaMcATLlrS0
Taking the title literally:
REM – Pop Song 89
May 1981.
I’m stuck in hospital and Thursday night is Top Of The Pops Night.
There is no way I’m missing this (even with a drip in my arm)
I’ve heard the charts regularly since early 1980 – there are many bands and songs I like, but this one defines “Pop”.
To shamelessly nick (paraphrase?) a line from @DogFacedBoy: “That is a proper f**king Pop Star”
Very nice (and very enthusiastic) retrospective of ‘Kings of the Wild Frontier’ in Uncut this month (maybe Mojo….more likely Uncut).
Agreed – very enthusiastic.
Makes we want to listen again (and I did – it is bloody good)
And to save your self-doubt, it was in Mojo (almost gushing? not quite, but it sounded “important” to the writer)
Aha, thank you; Mojo and Uncut blur into one sometimes….
Thanks to TOTP 1981, my 4 y.o. Is currently crazy for this song. I remember it well from my own youth and it’s wonderful to see him enjoy it now. The gift of great pop.
Proper Pop. Proper hooks. Proper good.
I’m a big fan of late 80s pop, whether it’s SAW, Scottish stuff like Deacon Blue, or Transatlantic power pop like the below (or Belinda Carlisle, that sort of thing). The below popped up in Car Share which (as I’m sure has been mentioned on here) had a tremendous pop soundtrack.
Jane Wiedlin – Rush Hour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAsLDf-tYlg
David Guetta with Taio Cruz & Ludicrus:
And anything with Bruno Mars involved is quality pop:
Probably the best vocal harmony group ever.
(The Mamas and the Papas – Dedicated To The One I Love)
This is proper pop. I genuinely love it:
A question of chronology.
Year 3000 was released in 2003, and contains the line
“your great-great-great-granddaughter, is pretty fine”
The Year 3000 would’ve been 997 years into the future.
Now, considering a generation gap of 25-30 years, your great-great-great-granddaughter would be around 850 years old – would she really be “pretty fine”?
To make the line chronologically correct you would need around 31 or 32 greats.
I don’t think the chorus would scan quite as well.
A thread on great pop would not be complete without The Feeling. They may not be cool, but bloody hell they’re good. I love everything about this song.
Absolutely YES to The Feeling; lovely band.
‘No Scrubs’ YES: also, you may like:
Somedays (most days) I think this is the greatest pop song ever written.
That album is a gem – might have to go and play it right now
Oh and one from the 1990s:
Yes….really great. Better than ‘Pure Shores’? Possibly.
It is very close I admit. But to me Black Coffee is more hooky.
Yes and lyrically very interesting/seductive.
Not cheesey enough on this thread, Tim?
This should put that right.
And let’s not forget the original which also has a high dairy content.
You win John!
More proper pop.
You’re really on a roll today Mr PopSqueezer!
And of course, we need some Squeeze. Best pop band of them all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd13EjzM6vA
Two fine Danish pop bands. The first you may know, the second you ought to know. They are wonderful live.
Junior Senior – Move your fett
WhoMadeWho – Keep me in my plane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz3sjBqlmcQ
Junior Senior had a great poptastic song called Shake Me Baby on that first album which should have been number one for about a year in my mind:
http://youtu.be/eg6phXpXBBg
Does anyone here like The Human League?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgIHKU3D5Og
Yes, but it’s not a ‘Seconds’ though, is it?
This far and not this yet? Andre even looks like he is enjoying himself:
Well of course the best pop song ever (i.e. my favourite) is Into The Groove, but let’s have something a bit more modern:
Very good, but it’s ‘Salute’ for me.
Several to choose from, took me ages to decide!
I’ll bung them all on my playlist.
I do like it when a pop songs sneaks in a short history lesson.
Salute always strikes me as a subliminal armed forces recruitment song.
Like Yvan eht Nioj that N-Sync did in the Simpsons
just thought of another bit of classy recent pop. Bit of gospel in this. The ear worm goes to 11 at 1 min 30:
Oh dear, I should be working, not posting little symphonies for the kids.
I don’t need an Easter egg when I’ve got this.
This is aces:
No comment necessary…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=qpJ0cyXbMbI
Que pasa/ Me no Pop I! Coati Mundi takes a dance through Central Park..
And here’s his boss, Kid Creole, reminding us that a pop star should never be short of self-confidence.
Meanwhile…
For the Turtles, Elenore is quite the tune.
Great pop tune, with innovative lyrical use of ‘et cetera’.
Decisions! Decisions! Which Sparks song to choose?
When do I get to sing My Way?
Or The Number One song in Heaven?
Number One Song In Heaven is the correct answer (but it should be the full 7 and a half minutes)
so much to choose from, but here’s two:
Split Enz – Six Months In A Leaky Boat. A live version Starts slow (or, at least, non-pop-y). Skip to about 2 minutes, if you must
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPTvkIwEsB0
Fun Boy Three – Our Lips Are Sealed. {Assumes Alan Partridge posture and intones “… but I’m glad these boys didn’t! Keep them sealed, that is… oh, and the ladies too.”
And if we’re doing Jimi, why not this fine song too?
and these two:
Voice of the Beehive
and Strawberry Switchblade
Was reading the story of this group last night, and it made me wonder whether we’re not just better off never knowing the behind-the-curtain details and enjoy the music instead.
I agree. I saw something about Strawberry Switchblade the other day and the beginning hinted at darkness behind the pop surface. I can’t remember now whether it was that that put me off or that I just didn’t have time, but I didn’t read the piece. Don’t think I will now.
oh, and two more and then I’ll stop.
The Searchers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29fwB4UtJNE
Herman’s Hermits
Freddie Garrety was Peter Noones mums milkman. True dat. Pete told me.
Breaking my own promise to foist another of my favourite songs on those who frequent this place.
Euphoric Scottish pop from Friends Again. State of Art
That is a gem. An unfairly neglected band, by the looks of things.
And as there’s not a single track by them on Spotty, let’s have another here.
More OMD. Sara Cox played this on the Red Button over the weekend. The poppier, the better as far as OMD are concerned IMHO – Souvenir was the first record that was “mine” as opposed to Dad’s (unless The Wombles Twenty Greatest Hits counts) and I still love it today. They had some great pop singles – Electricity, Messages, Enola Gay (as above), Souvenir, Joan of Arc, Maid of Orleans, Telegraph, Pandora’s Box – that stand up at least as well as some of the more renowned 80s names.
I would also suggest Sailing on the Seven Seas and Walking on the Milky Way as brilliant pop songs. WOTMW is (was) begging to be covered by Oasis. It’s a very Oasis-y song and I can imagine them really belting it out.
And bringing things more up to date:
Please foist away Pajp!!
On a KFD thread, there is no such thing as over-posting.
Great to be reminded of old favourites and hear a few new names.
Thanks @kaisfatdad
I don’t need to be asked twice, so…
Howzat! by Sherbert
and the rather aptly-named (OK, OK, I know…..) Closest Thing To Heaven by The Kane Gang
Fingerprintz….This IS pop!!
Two from ’68 and one from ’70
Pop!
70s too
More legs
Chick???
Another fairground, another song.
Pops? We must have some Mike Flowers.
And a bit of PostModern Jukebox
Bavarians get Sensible.
LaBrassBanda are a magnificent live band even without the Captain.
Pop groups have to be “The” what and whomsoever they are. It’s a rule, otherwise it’s pretentious. scroll back and you will see I’m right. Here’s a lot I rather took to in short trousers:
Really diggin’ this thread. KFD. Here are a few more who need to be on it.
https://youtu.be/2Ss38PCpwtA
Eddi Reader sings Boo Hewardine.
(Patience Of Angels)
Pop music is quite often where you’ll find what you could call your jobbing popsters – they might not be teen heart-throb material, but they know how to make magic – it’s where you’ll see names like Cook and Greenaway, Macauly and (occasional AW contributor) Hazzard bandied about, and unsung heroes like Alan Parker and Clem Cattini ply their trade.
Oz music scribe Stuart Coupe once put it that pop music was the most democratic genre of music as it was defined purely by economic success; didn’t matter if you were rock, prog, country, bubblegum, whatever…if it charted you were pop.
Some sterling examples have been provided – here’s one more
Great theory Sniffity. And never more true than in the golden days of TOTP when an unknown artist could zoom up the charts from nowhere.
Of course, back in those days you’d often get a hit created in the studio, and a band would have to quickly be put together to do live performances.
This certainly isn’t Tony Burrows miming – chances are the rest are ring-ins as well
Features Sibelius’s Symphony 5 same as the Strawberry `Switchblade tune above.
This could be one of the best pop songs ever recorded. It’s definitely not the best video ever recorded…just close your eyes and enjoy!
(Plastic Bertrand – Tout Petite La Planète)
The soundtrack of the Swedish uppehållsrum in 1981…
Gyllene Tider – När Vi Två Blir En:
Freestyle – Fantasi:
Both lyrics speaking directly to teenagers spending every moment awake thinking about sex (that they’re probably not getting). Both very catchy pop hits. (Both bands looking quite awful…)
How have we gotten so far without Heavenly Pop Hit by The Chills..?
Love this….
Good heavens! Errigal mountain in County Donegal.
All right -I’ll do it. As is often the case, Depeche Mode deliver the goods. But I am going to surprise you by not embedding the link to their truly awful video. I am instead going to share with you a cover version of Just Can’t Get Enough done by The Saturdays. It’s terrible. Don’t watch it.
Over to Norway for two fantabulous pop songs.
Kings of convenience – I’d rather dance with you
Aha – Take on me
Scotland – Popland!
Danny Wilson – Mary’s Prayer
Fairground Attraction – Perfect
Teenage Fanclub – Baby Lee
Zooey Van Gooey – You told the drunks I knew karate
Belle and Sebastian – The boy with the arab strap
No Bacharach and David yet? A scandal!
I say a little prayer for you – Jackie Leven
Dionne Warwick’s versions of their songs are always pop gold.
Walk on by
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Calling AWers on the Emerald Isle! You must have hundreds of pop gems to share with us.
Like this one: the Saw Doctors – I useta love her
And here they are proving how pop gives us the chance to express our secret desires ……..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWE0xkCKmSc
Now there’s a cue for a song from pop princesses, Ms Hoff and co.
I would have suggested this – arguably Prince’s most perfect pop song, perfectly performed by the pouting princesses…
I met a Scot on the school run. He suggested The View from Dundee.
On the radio just now – topper most of the poppermost – The Lightning Seeds. This is All I Want
Gem after gem Pajp! First the Kane Gang and now the Seeds. Both superlative pop bands.
As are the Boo Radleys.
Zappa could certainly write a hit. Bobby Brown was enormous here in Sweden.
That song was enormous in Scandinavia, Holland and Germany, which has puzzled me for years.
The lyrics to Bobby Brown are filthy, so it begs the question, do English obscenities not register in those countries, or are they just far more liberal with their playlists over there?
.
Yeah @Johnny Concheroo, our language in the world. Basic English is pretty mainstream in Germany but not exactly nuanced* and the idea of, say, bleeping words on the radio doesn’t exist, which means kids (my students) think words like m@$!f&ck+r are perfectly acceptable. Fuck is now also the main expression of annoyance on normal TV. So obscenities in other languages don’t have this inbuilt heft or flinch factor (read Filthy English for more on this). Nothing much has changed since the Bobby Brown days, only hiphop has become ubiquitous, so everything has accelerated downwards. Unlikely to be much different in Holland or Sweden, although these countries do get to hear more English as their TV is subtitled, not dubbed.
*A strange churn of supposed Oxford, advertising claims, pop and hiphop
@Johnny Concheroo
Take three @Johnny Concheroo
Beats me.
Yes @johnny Concheroo, It’s an odd business. I first heard it at the Frisky and Sweaty gym club, oddly enough. The BPM is perfect for doing press ups to. That might explain something. A bizarre experience to be doing my exercises with 60 radiantly healthy Swedes and listening to Frank.
Nothing is bleeped here, nor do they have a “clean”, radio friendly version of songs such as happened with Don’t marry her fuck me by The Beautiful South in the UK. 10 year old Swedes seem to know all the swear words in English. They know they are rude, What they don’t understand is how very offensive these words are in the English speaking world.
Has a record ever been banned in Sweden? Maybe @locust knows?
The level of English here is very good but perhaps most people don’t understand quite how filthy the song is.
But it’s very catchy and very amusing. Doesn’t that explain a fair bit?
Thanks @Kaisfatdad and @Declan that’s really interesting. It puts our prudish English speaking world to shame.
It is odd how they record two versions of a song.
Here’s Cee Lo’s Forget you.
Better known to me as Fuck you. And far better with the expletive too.
I beg to differ @Kaisfatdad
I don’t consider myself a prude, but I hate swearing in pop records. It sounds to me like juvenile showing off and, to my mind at least, is unnecessary. I think that the essence of “pop” is that it is light, preferably witty and literate, and made for mass (indiscriminate) broadcast. It stuff you hum as you go about your daily life.
I far prefer “Forget You” to “Fuck You”. For me, the swear word/phrase jars. My copy of “The Lady Killer” is the “clean” version, without “Fuck You” on it. In addition to my dislike of swearing in songs, I didn’t want my daughter (who was at the time about 11 or 12) putting the CD on and hearing it.
Ages ago (before the AW crash), there was a thread about swearing in records and I remember saying that there was only one record in which I did mind a swear word (“Precious” by The Pretenders). Not long after the thread, I remember hearing a couple of other songs that had swear words in them (I forget which now) and thinking that maybe I’d been a bit hasty in naming just one.
Nevertheless, I stand by my view. The “fuck off” in “Precious” fits with the song; the “fuck you” in “Fuck You” is as attention-seeking and gratuitous as an FCUK t-shirt. (It just came to my mind that as a 13 year old, I had a red t-shirt with a polo mint in the front of it and below the mint, the word “Suck”. I remember wearing it to the dentist one time and, as I was lying in the chair, the dentist saying to me (with obvious disdain) something like “that’s a very interesting shirt you have on, young man”. “Fuck You” and its ilk is just like that.)
I am tagging @Declan and @johnny-concheroo because I am interested in their views too.
No, Swedish radio never banned music, @Kaisfatdad, but they would stamp a “dödskallemärkning” (scull and crossbones) on the sleeves of “innapropriate” records in the huge gramophone archive, as a recommendation for producers looking for material for their radio shows.
They were free to play them, but made aware that perhaps they weren’t quite suitable to play in a show for children, for exemple.
Regarding “Bobby Brown”: I think Swede’s just find smutty lyrics highly amusing and not inappropriate at all. Bengt Sändh and Finn Zetterholm recorded an album of dirty folk songs which was a big hit – me and my friends (all girls) would sing along to those songs in the car when we were teenagers – and they were really filthy!
Here’s one classic exemple:
“inappropriate”, not “innapropriate”…
Thanks! I see what you mean @locust. They don’t pull any punches.
I presume you know the very NSFW reggae of Judge Dread,
Needless to say this was immediately banned by the BBC. And then of course became a big hit.
Re swearing @Pajp. On your side on this one, I don’t think swearing has any place in pop music and if it is done, it suggests another agenda or ignorance* For this reason, my hiphop collection of one CD won’t be expanding any time soon.
Actually, a well-placed curse can be effective. You know the old adage that Zappa could have produced any number of radio hits if he hadn’t insisted on putting fuck in everywhere? Grain of truth there. Or someone like Cowboy Junkies never swearing in 30 years of making records, until the serious and fragrant Margo did.
Otherwise let me reiterate my (non-original) thought on the flinch factor. We learn in our own language that certain words are taboo or designed to shock. They make us flinch. This is exactly what doesn’t translate well between languages. Use the worst words from, say, Dutch and they’re only words, even if you know what they mean.
*I’ve always hated the fact that people in the part of Ireland I come from sprinkle every sentence with fucks, simply because their vocabulary is lacking.
Oh, and that Cowboy Junkies song just about qualifies as pop
Colin Blunstone
Pop for grown-ups. As a young-ish man, I bought this from a newsagent that had a rack of (I suppose) ex-jukebox singles – the middles were punched out. I’d been too young to have heard it when it was out, but old enough then to appreciate it.
I asked DuCool this morning about his favourite pop and to my great surprise he confessed to a great liking for ….Bieber.
I was gobsmacked.
He then clarified that he meant Henrik Ignaz Franz Biber.
The Kinks also got a vote.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rlRjPEtJac
Mr Blunstone is fab. As are his band, The Zombies. The pride of St Albans,
She’s not there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKBRc8zNQ30
Time of the season
Tiggerlion must have been down the pub last night, Otherwise he’d have doubtless treated us to something by Maurice and Co.
After the love is gone
pop means summer
which samples this one
New Radicals – You Get What You Give
Trufax dept: Gregg Alexander out of the New Radicals was Oscar nominated for one of the songs he wrote for the film Begin Again (which I really like, despite not having any giant monsters or explosions in it)
No Iceland yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKufCp8NnMk
I don’t think Alphabeat have been mentioned yet amidst all the other quality Scandopop here?
Fascination
10,000 Nights
irk the purists with their cover of Public Image
A big up for Alphabeat @kid dynamite. A new name for me. The PIL cover is wonderful.
Top of the Pops? Time for a literal….
If this was any more pop, it would burst…..note ostentatious bass playing and seemingly banjo-playing lead…..those wacky mimes, get me every time….
Good point @fitterstoke, I’d watch TOTP in my innocent early teens and wonder why there were so many guitar players when you couldn’t hear guitars on the record. Case in point (but no TOTP film available) is this. Great bass and drums though.
https://youtu.be/-m3VFmc4y5U
Take two
https://youtu.be/-m3VFmc4y5U
I love this thread….
Not seen much SAW on here yet; here’s one of Kylie’s finest (Better the Devil You Know).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10P_ybz5YTI
From Brazil. One of the best pop songs ever.
More pop from Australia and New Zealand, please!!
A few to inspire you:
Taming Parlour
Crowded House
TISM
The Bamboos
Pop? As easy as ABC.
And talking about the alphabet makes me think of that poor student Sam Cooke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgm2LFl5wvo
Astonished to find this thread has got so long, and no sign of the greatest pop act of them all.
and finished off with their best (IMHO).
No S-O-S or Dancing Queen? Pop perfection
Ice cool Scando-Pop?
Virna Lindt. I’m a big fan of her Easter bunnies too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQKIIdgYjJk
and a shot of j-pop (the less sugary kind)
Sheena Ringo – Queen of Kabuki-cho
also:
A View of Happiness
Nice work BAD. :幸福論 is a great favourite of mine!!
Great to spice up this thread with some more exotic flavours.
Some Momoiro Clover Z is never wrong either.
Nice work Count Jim!
Now a few more Swedish pop exports that should not be forgotten.
Cardigans – Rise and Shine. This was their first single. Noshortage of other fine pop songs to choose from.
Jens Lekman – You are the light
Probably not so well-known but he ought to be. A wonderful song.
Roxette – Dressed for success. Not exactly my favourite band, but they are pop personified.
A pop thread without the exquisite voice of Karen Carpenter? What are we thinking?
They long to be (Close to you)
And coming right up to the present day, the equally wonderful pipes of Jenny Lewis. The darling of any contemporary pop lover.
She’s not me
A video that references the rather sexy opening credits of Baraberalla? Not to mention Flash Gordon.
How can one can resist the new princess of pop, Ariana Grande?
Cardigans – My Favourite Game
The lack of the Mac is a bit surprising.
But which song to choose? Another band with a treasury of tunes to choose from.
Rhiannon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py3w5fttedA
or Dreams perhaps?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEi7GPkxfsE
And how about a later example?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5HkuhSEnPQ
A pair of Cindys. Not the “pop”-est of “pop stars”, perhaps not at all … says he hedging his bets while sitting on a fence, but “pop”-y nonetheless.
Billy Bragg’s Cindy of a Thousand Lives
and Brian Eno’s Cindys Tell Me, a tune that has been stuck in my head for days now.
Brian Eno wrote quite a few good pop songs.
Here’s two from the same album “Before and After Science”.
(Here He Comes)
(Backwater)
Hi @Mike_H There was a thread not so long ago about musical blind-spots: things we’d only discovered lately, or some such.
Brian Eno would have been my contribution. Of course, I knew of him from early Roxy, having heard of things like “Music for Airports” and his association with Bowie, but I’d not – until recently – ever listened to him. I picked up “Here Come The Warm Jets” and “Before and After Science” in a secondhand shop not so long ago.
I put “Here Come The Warm Jets” on my phone and, as I was walking to work the other morning, was suddenly struck by “Cindy Tells Me”.
I’ve played “Before and After Science” at home once and I recognised “Backwater” after listening to it just now on your post. I will have to give the CD a more thorough listen. It may be sacrilegious to say this, but it did strike me just now that “Backwater” and Sailor’s “Glass of Champagne” (above) are not entirely dissimilar.
Correction: one of my many entries on a musical blind-spot thread could have been Eno. I did not want to suggest that Eno constitutes the only gap in my musical knowledge.
Reminder courtesy of today’s Guardian, pop from pop’s bedrock by Hanson.
This is the Afterword, Pajp. Let’s please get rid of the notion that pop music has to be popular.
Dear me! Whatever next?
Here’s the only Cindy for me! Mit Bert und Das Hund Von Baskerville.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iSsVskUcfo
Cindy looks alright, but I’m not sure about Bert.
Hi @Kaisfatdad, not sure I can offer you anything too obscure because my tastes are pretty much mainstream, but here’s something that was on one of the Word cover CDs.
Nightmare of You with “I Want To Be Buried In Your Backyard”. Builds through the first 50-odd seconds to a t-t-t-t-tuneful chorus. Pop-emo?
nightmare of you i want to be buried in your backyard
Hey man @Pajp your stuff is superb, loved Howzat WITH A BULLET! You’ll likely enjoy this one
Or this
Thanks @declan. Fine songs both and both that I came to first through cover versions.
I am not a great Leonard Cohen fan (perhaps born too late?) and first heard Hallelujah as an X-Factor/Britain’s Got Talent retread. Jeff Buckley gives the song a reverence others lack.
I first heard “See Emily Play” on Bowie’s “Pin-ups”. Again, born too late to have been a Pink Floyd fan at the time, so to speak, at least up until The Wall – at which point I was 15. I’ve just listened to both versions, alternating between the two. As I suppose is to be expected, PF’s is more psychedelic sounding; Bowie’s more rock-y, like “Man Who Sold The World” (I thought “Pin-ups” and “Man Who Sold The World” were closer together in time – I just looked it up, there is 3 years between them).
So you’ve just hit 50 (or 51) then @Pajp?
Here’s one for all middle-aged hipsters
Thanks @pajp. I enjoyed that.
Please don’t get the impression that I spend all my time listening to offbeat stuff like Icelandic reggae. Even if it’s true!
I have two go-to pop tunes which are stone bonker certs:
Pharrell – Fun Fun Fun
and
Finders Keepers – Salt Water Taffy
Toy – “Motoring”.
Chosen by Paul Weller on one of the better Mojo coverdiscs of recent times, “Beyond Saturn”
Tuuunnnee – even if it Visage with Kelly murmuring over the top
So far down without `80`s pop princess Kim Wilde and here she is still cutting the pop mustard in 2013
Someone above said that the name of good pop bands had to start with “The” (or something like that – I just looked back through the thread, but couldn’t find it).
Well, here’s two to fit the bill. The Darling Buds and The Primitives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31abJDvQhuU
It was @retropath2 . If you don’t have a “The”, it’s pretentious.
The jury is out on that, but I’m glad I found it. At least my last two are OK.
Time for The Bananarama!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ePIZugahFc
Pop was at its peak in the early seventies.
T. Rex – 20th Century Boy
This is the song that got me into buying records. Although I never bought this single, it made me buy their next single, The Groover. Nowhere as good as 20th Century Boy, but by the time I’d saved my pocket money, the next single had come out!
Sweet – Blockbuster
Suzie Quatro – Devil Gate Drive
http://youtu.be/M9ShxkcqUlQ
Probably the greatest ever dance routine by a bunch of non-dancing hairy session men!
And of course, a brilliant track.
Slade – Coz I Luv You
er…
Oops
http://youtu.be/VxFHTxI_dzs
Gary Glitter – Rock And Roll (Part 1)
http://youtu.be/NpAYBsWcLuM
Alice Cooper – School’s Out
Elton John – Crocodile Rock
http://youtu.be/vLW_pjrssxI
Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes
David Bowie – John, I’m Only Dancing
http://youtu.be/6VrqCBsbeuc
Thanks for “popping” in Tigger. I suspected you’d have a few aces up your sleeve.
Here’s one you may enjoy.
It’s a great shame that the wonderful Was (not Was) are remembered for a novelty song and a cover version, when they wrote so many fine songs themselves.
Anything can happen
Where did your heart go?
Steve Mller Band – The Joker
http://youtu.be/FgDU17xqNXo
Ace – How Long
Family – Burlesque
Wordy Rappinghood – a small gem from TomTom Club.
They even had some great pop songs in their day job.
Wild wild life
Some of these count only as pop cos they were, um, popular, Tiggs. The charts in the 70s were full of stuff far too varied to be “just” pop. So Steve Miller Band and Family don’t count. The tosh in your earlier outpouring, however, yes, spot on.
Family may not have been a pop band. But Burlesque surely was a pop record because, as you say, it was popular?
At the time, Miller, Ace and Family were one hit wonders. Miller later had a few more.
Family were an albums band @tiggerlion and enormously popular on the live circuit, so singles were not so interesting for them .
But whereas Burlesque reached 13 in the charts, The Weaver’s Answer reached 11(!!)
No Mule’s Fool no 29
and In my own time no 4. Blimey!
Time for some sophisticated acid jazz hits.
Jhelisa – Friendly pressure
Young disciples – Apparently nothing
Brand new Heavies – Dream come true
US3 – Canteloop
Sorry! Another try at Young Disciples-
A magnificent pop song from Rod in 1971. And some particularly noteworthy mandolin work on this live version!
More from Oz.
Men at work
And from London, another one hit wonder,
Sniff and the tears
and another…..
A fair bit of Eno (thanks Pajp), but how about some Roxy Music?
Virginia Plain
Do the Strand
Love is the drug
The Brill Building deserves a thread in its own right.
Carol King describes working there:
Every day we squeezed into our respective cubby holes with just enough room for a piano, a bench, and maybe a chair for the lyricist if you were lucky. You’d sit there and write and you could hear someone in the next cubby hole composing a song exactly like yours. The pressure in the Brill Building was really terrific—because Donny (Kirshner) would play one songwriter against another. He’d say: “We need a new smash hit”—and we’d all go back and write a song and the next day we’d each audition for Bobby Vee’s producer.
Here are just a few of the hits that emerged from that Tower of Song.
Breaking up is hard to do (Sedaka & Greenfield)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUtkpIINDyw
Yakety Yak (Lieber & Stoller)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6-2eXjx-h0
The look of love (Bacharach & David)
The locomotion (Goffin& King)
River deep mountain high (Spector-Greenwich-Barry)
We gotta get out of this place (Mann & Weill)
I believe it’s in the AW regulations that every thread must contain at least one song by Gerry Rafferty and Steely Dan. I would not want to rock the boat.
Humblebums Please sing a song for us
Rikki don’t lose that number
The Doobie Brothers had one glorious pop hit after the other in the late 70s.
What a fool believes
Long train coming
And of the same vintage, Boz Scaggs’s Lowdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3og8YojnybY
The late 70s and early 80s, the heyday of Stiff Records, feels like a golden age for British pop.
Lene Lovich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FDfJ2lB480
Wreckless Eric
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KgcAxjbiyY
Elvis Costello
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O71I6aE8pxQ
Ian Dury
Madness
Nick Lowe
Jona Lewie
Not forgetting……
This thread is a hoot. I keep remembering long forgotten pop songs.
My Life Story – 12 reasns why I love her
The Blow Monkeys – Digging your scene
Paul Young – Every time you go away (in fact most of No Parlez)
And here’s one I definitely have not forgotten: Echo Beach by Martha and the Muffins. Dubbed up here by Go Home Productions.
“The best film I’ve ever seen. It really blew my mind!”
My 13 year old son’s verdict on Kung Fu Panda 3.
Carl Douglas must have earned a few bob from that franchise. His song is used in all of the films. Not that he needed it. The single originally sold 11 million copies.
Tamla Music is Pop!
The Supremes – Stop! In The Name Of Love
The Temptations – Beauty Is Only Skin Deep
The Velvelettes – Really Saying Something
The Miracles – Ooo Baby Baby
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Martha & The Vandellas – Nowhere To Run
The Four Tops – Standing In The Shadows Of Love
The Motown sound that got away
You are on a rather marvellous roll this morning Tigger.
Thanks to you and everyone else who’s been posting here. What a surprise, eh?
Afterworders getting very enthusiastic about music that is very popular. Where will this end?
Tamla weren’t the only label with some fine pop singles.
Stax were giving them a good run for their money
Otis Redding
Sam and Dave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fS9-Yimdhw
Surprised that Mr Concheroo hasn’t treated us to a few Donovan singles. No shortage of good pop songs to choose from there.
Sunshine Superman
Good call KFD. I tend to think of Don as psych folk, but he was definitely turning out some great pop singles too.
He most certainly was. My first awareness of him was Mellow Yellow.
Poetic lyrics, great tunes and some marvellously imaginative arrangements played (as you know) by some top notch musicians like Harold McNair.
Let’s have another!
Well, if we’re going label by label, let us not forget Buddah – home of bubblegum
The Archies – Sugar Sugar
The Lemon Pipers – Green Tambourine
1810 Fruitgum Company – Goody Goody Gumdrops
The Ohio Express – Chewy Chewy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V-FYolawTw
The Archies. RCA in UK and Australia. Calendar/Kirshner in USA.
D’oh!
When he’s right, he’s right.
A marvellous quartet there Sniffity.
Made me think of this one: Judy in disguise by John Fred and his Playboys
And coming right up to date, how about a pop pearl from Carly Rae Jepsen?
Several modern pop songs seem to be about mobile phones. Like Drake’s Hotline Bling
BTW, isn’t that a Grace Jones sample?
Flowers In The Rain
The Move
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMG8xW2HrAM
Let’s have some more gems from Sir Royston.
This one, under his own name.
At the same time, he was operating as Wizzard.
Proper kitchen sink production.
Gimme Some Lovin’
Spencer Davis Group
Brandy
Looking Glass
Jeopardy
Greg Kihn Band
“I feel so dirty when they start talking cute
I want to tell her that I love her
But the point is probably moot..”
Jessie’s Girl
Rick Springfield
Makes me think of this one from The Cars.
My best friend’s girlfriend
Which (in my head) leads directly on to this:
Cheap Trick – I Want You To Want Me
La Roux – Sexotheque
The Who – Substitute
A couple to get you on the dance floor
The Whispers
Shalamar
One of my favourite albums of recent years Bossa Nova Just Smells Funky by Bahama Soul Club I think will appeal to fans of the Mutant Disco comp on Ze Records from the early 80s – a modern funky sound with lots of different influences and plenty songs which would make great singles. Such as these:
Junkie
Serious Soul
Afro Shigida
Thanks @alias. Really looking forward to giving that album a listen.
You really know what buttons to press! Ze had something of a Midas touch. Always first class artists.
I think you will love it.
You were right on the money there @alias.
Trying to think what it reminds me of. The whole acid jazz scene comes to mind.
Must find out more about them.
There is a hint of a lot of influences there and strong song writing throughout the album. They might be German and they have two other albums Rhythm Is What Makes Jazz Jazz and the Cuban Tapes. I haven’t heard either but I have always liked the tracks I have heard on the radio. I will try and get around to listening to them. Apparently in an earlier incarnation they were The JuJu Orchestra whose Kind Of Latin Rhythm track I loved.
You’re right, @alias. They are German, as I discovered on their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/bahamasoulclub/info/?tab=page_info
They also have YTube channel. Here’s one of the tracks they’ve posted.
All their albums are on Spotify so I’ve had a grand afternoon!
Some artists we cannot forget
Soft Cell
The Cure
The Specials
http://youtu.be/IbqiCxEIeEo
Bet you all you grouches hated this when it was released.
Grouches? Here? If you use that word again, I’ll get very grouchy.
It’s a very sweet little pop tune, with some fine singing.
Reminds me that there are some very entertaining a capella groups around these days who are attracting a far younger audience. Like the very witty Pentatonix.
Swearing in pop? What do you think?
@pajp andI have a very gentlemanly disagreement about which version of Cee Lo’s F++k/Forget you is better. He thinks that the expletive is inappropriate in music that is for broad, general consumption. Which I actually agree with.
I see Cee Lo as an artist aiming for a more adult audience. And as he is generally fairly sparing with four letter words, I think it works here as a way of expressing his extreme anger. But I can see that I’ve painted myself into a corner there as pop music isn’t for an adult audience.
I suspect I have been damaged by listening to so much rap music when we have a long journey in a car. Cee Lo is a choirboy compared with most rappers.
I just mentioned to Mrs Pajp that you and I were having a discussion (I didn’t say what it was about), but she told me that you were probably right and not to argue with you – it’s Easter, she said.
If only she knew what were discussing…
(or, on my part *not cussin’ * Ha!)
EDIT: …. “what we were discussing…”
My squeeze loves this currently and she has a way of wiggly way of dancing to that enhances its appeal considerably.
Zara Larsson
Lush Life
I love it too. But I promise not to do any wiggly dancing, That would really put you off.
Haim time!
Appreciate that KFD. Clearly the wigglyness had an effect on my ability to write a sentence in an orderly fashion.
Thanks for the Haim. As it happens The Squeeze likes them too. And this
Paris Is Burning
Ladyhawke
The Squeeze has great taste,
Here’s another fine song about Paris from the Friendly Fires.
And while we’re at it, here are the Ting Tings.
I bloody well don’t!!
Oh I see. As you were so it were.
Ah, The Ting Tings. Their debut was so great. Shame they went crap after that.
Hot Chocolate
It Started With A Kiss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3pf7o-9OOk
This is three minutes of brilliance. A playlet in song.
Bus Stop
The Hollies
@Fin59 A great choice, if I may say so. I was toying with posting it yesterday, but went for “No Milk Today” instead. Glad you posted it.
Thanks Pajp – good choice of The Cure below too. This is joyous.
In Between Days
The Cure
I know that we are constantly in danger of skiing off the pop piste and into rock/soul/RnB/Hip Hop (what-have-you) rough, but surely this qualifies…
Robert Smith at his pop-est. “Friday I’m In Love”.
And, funnily enough, it’s Friday … and as to the other, of course I am.
Brilliant. I heard this on the radio today and sat in the car until it finished. Great video too.
Just the kind of thing that I’d do too.
Just noticed that @kaisfatdad beat me to it. I must pay more attention.
This thread has become such a gigantic beast, @Pajp, that it’s difficult to keep track of what has and hasn’t been mentioned.
By the way, maybe we should move our discussion of F++k and Forget you over to a new thread? It’s a topic that has been talked about before but I think there’s some interesting mileage to be had.
We could try @kaisfatdad but I’m not going to have much time to contribute to it until tomorrow afternoon. Shall I kick one off then?
Robert Smith of the Cure manages to have a foot in two worlds. He’s not perhaps primarily interested in producing pop songs, but when he does he really delivers the goods.
A few other examples of great pop songs written by “part-timers”.
Living in the past
Sledgehammer
You can call me Al
Any more?
Those Zep boys could do pop. Jimmy Page cut his teeth in the pop production line after all. Song below is sort of like a heavy Sugar Sugar
Living Loving Maid
Led Zeppelin
A few American indie popsters.
Lake – Oh the places we’ll go
The Essex Green – The late great Cassiopeia
Family of the year – Stairs
With clips by Frank Zappa, Family and Led Zep, this thread has drifted into a “post any old YouTube clip you like” regardless, hasn’t it?
A couple more as yet unposted
Thunderclap Newman – Something In The Air
How come Mr Drains could make this sound so lush, but Tommy sounded so thin and underproduced (to these ears anyway)?
Barry Ryan – Eloise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6abWXX4A6g
Barry challenges David Crosby in the sartorial stakes by wearing a cape…
Eloise is a monster pop single, everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink is in there.
No no no Mr Concheroo!
I’ll confess that i was a little over-generous with those Family clips. But they were all hit singles, strange though that may seem in 2016. As pop music, they haven’t aged well at all.
Bobby Brown? Great pop record.
Stairway to heaven is no pop record. But the instrumental version of Whole Lotta Love
Has inspired all manner of pop prancing.
I think Sabrina’s insanely catchy Boys can convince you of this thread’s enormous pop credentials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvniAEtHT7k
Failing that, Lady Gaga should clinch it
Oh, I say!
How have we got so far in this thread without a mention of Eurovision?
Moments of pop magic, wobbly ethnic dancing and wardrobe atrocity that we will never forget.
From France, Sebastian Tellier’s wonderfully catchy Divine.
Sweden’s euphoric Loreen
And from Germany, Dschingis Khan by ..er … .Dschingis Khan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pIc6-vO1l4
The footage of the blissed out Euro-crowd at the beginning applauding anything and everything is strangely scary.
And how could we forget DK’s singer when we were talking about capes?
As all those Stones fans in Cuba will tell you, pop and rock music transcend language barriers.
La Bamba
Bamboleo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mifnMC_Kn1Q
Besame mucho
Mambo # 5
Oye como va
La cucharacha
I was thinking exactly the same thing today about that well-known football anthem Guantanamera.
I wonder how many of the louts on the terraces tunelessly bawling “There’s only one David Beckham” (or whoever) are aware that Guantanamera is the most famous Cuban song of all time, covered by countless artists since the Sandpipers’ timeless 1966 original
Even better than mine as it’s a Cuban song.
A few from me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVMQclI41D4
Amy Grant – Baby Baby
Aztec Camera – Pillar To Post
Linx – So This Is Romance?
Cheri – Murphy’s Law
This is simply the best record ever made. A pop supreme.
Oh No Not My Baby
Maxine Brown
Pop goes Reggae! With a message too!
Impossible to listen to this not feel uplifted. Even if one is middle aged, mediocre and white.
Young, Gifted & Black
Bob Andy &Marcia Griffith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQMlXECgNGU
Middle aged, mediocre and white! AW T shirt!!!
Marvellous song. I was thinking about which other reggae songs made it over into the mainstream pop charts.
Maxi Priest – Wild world
Inner circle Bad boys ( and Sweat)
Third world’s magnificent Now that we found love
Jimmy Cliff – The harder they come
Desmond Dekker – Israelites
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83Y2hv-3UCM
I once saw him live in Stockholm. Half the audience were dreads. the other half skinheads. Yet a very good time was had by all.
Don’t forget this one
This did it for me.
Wonderful Land by The Shadows.
Hooked on pop all my life since then
http://youtu.be/4j9fJbkzheY
Great! I’ve got a rather cracklesome copy of the Wonderful Land EP. It came to me in a box of singles best described as “mixed” 🙂 http://carbootvinyldiaries.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/little-box-of-horrors-singles.html
The Spotify playlist from this thread is perfect for doing the housework.
Feist, another artist whose day job is not writing pop songs. But this is a humdinger.
And if you haven’t seen her do it on Sesame Street, do so. I got an instant crush on the lovely Leslie, Maybe I just have a weakness for gamine Canadians?
Youtube clearly sensed this and just put this song on for me. Feist and fireworks. I think I need to go and lie down,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-iAS18rv68v=l-iAS18rv68&ebc=ANyPxKqpHr_bohi_pK0XjUGX3w9rB3pTsewegKI0g_XjIzVYv7jS1WUOYVSTc1zyQxM1NqZDDHFjZVaLVHexxcg5EOVani5xzw
Fancy some pop with a sprinkling of curry powder?
Apache Indian – Boom Shakalak
Cornershop – Brimful of Asha
The biggest pop star in the world today?
Now there’s an interesting question, Walker!
No doubt about her talent. But I might argue that perhaps Madonna or Gaga has a broader fan base.
Rhianna would also give her a good run for her money.
Timberlake? And Bruno Mars is on the rise. He wears his influences on his sleeve but he is very talented.
A couple of ladies who totally dominated the dancefloors back in the day.
Donna Summer *looking very fetching here in her black leather dress(
Gloria Gaynor